In chapters 4 and 5, when
John was caught up into Heaven, he was transported forward in time to that
future momentous day when Christ will receive the authority and program for his kingdom from
the hand of his Father. Finding himself standing at that unparalleled event,
John saw Christ take a scroll from his Father's hand. Here, in chapter 6, the
Lamb begins to open that scroll by breaking off each of its seven seals ... one
by one. As each is broken away, the amazing drama of its unique, future,
preordained event or events will unfold before us. Before we begin this chapter,
let's take a moment and talk a bit about the concept of the coming Tribulation
it will describe.

Time-wise, the Bible
prophesies that the Tribulation will last for seven years. It is divided into
two parts, each consisting of three and a half years.The last three and
a half year segment is called the Great Tribulation. The scriptural basis for
these time periods is discussed in Appendix B. During the seven year
Tribulation, three great series of judgments will come upon the Earth initiated
by the
Lamb's breaking off of the seals from his scroll. They are
the Seal, the Trumpet and the Bowl Judgments. Each
series consists of seven
judgments. Also, the last judgment of the first two series introduces the first judgment
in the next series. So, the breaking of the seventh Seal introduces the first
Trumpet judgment and the blowing of the seventh Trumpet introduces the first
Bowl judgment. After the pouring out of the seventh Bowl judgment, Christ will
immediately return to Earth with great power and glory and rule and reign here
for a thousand years.

When Christ breaks the
first seal off his scroll, the seven year Tribulation period will commence down
on Earth. The breaking of the first five Seals will each result infiveindirect judgments on Earth. When these judgments come, the
world may not realize that they are of
supernatural origin or from Christ. People may assume that the terrible things
they are experiencing are merely due to fate or circumstance. The sixth
Seal, however, will be the eye-opener. It will be the first of God's direct
interventions on the earth. During the spectacular
judgment of the sixth Seal, the world will arrive at the beginning of the second half of the
Tribulation ... the Great Tribulation. The first six Seals cover the first
half of the Tribulation and they are all found here in Revelation 6.

The gospel accounts that contain Jesus’ words about the
coming Tribulation are found in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 17 and 21.
The material we find in those scriptures exactly parallel the much expanded
view that we find in Revelation 6 through 19. The coming Tribulation is
referred to by:

Daniel, as the 70th week (Daniel 9:26)

Jeremiah, asthe time of Jacob’s trouble
(Jeremiah
30:7)

Joel, as the great and terrible day of the Lord
(Joel
2:31)

Jesus, as great tribulation (Matthew 24:21)

Paul,
as the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God
(Romans 2:5)

Now I saw when the
Lamb opened one of the [NU addsseven
seals]; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a
voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse.
He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to
conquer.

6:1-2

When the Lamb broke the first seal of his scroll, John
saw the first of the famous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride forth
down upon the earth. The scene has shifted here from Heaven down to the
earth but the event itself was triggered from above. The first Seal
judgment from the Lamb came forth in the form of a man. In symbol, John saw him ride forth on
a white horse carrying a bow (as in bow and arrow)
and he was given a crown, after which, he immediately went out
conquering and to conquer.Notice that we are not
given any explanation as to this man's identity. That is because the reader is
expected to understand his symbol based on his or her previous knowledge and
study of the Scriptures. Who is he? He is the symbol of a future person (and
events related to him) that is predicted in the Bible in several places. The
symbol itself is an oriental one, depicting a military conqueror. In chapter 19,
we will see Christ himself riding a white horse, but that is the only similarity
between these two. This rider is not Christ for the following
reasons:

1.It is Christ who sends this rider forth.

2.This rider appears at the
beginning of the
Tribulation; Christ will appear at its end.

3.This rider uses conventional weapons,
a bow;
Christ will fight with the sword of His mouth
(19:15).

4.This rider wears a
victor’s
crown,στέφανος(stephanos); when Christ appears, he will
be wearing many diadems, διαδήματα
(diademata)(19:12).

5.This man initiates wars; Christ will
end
them.

6.This man goes forth
unnamed; but, when Christ
appears, he will be wearing his name for all to see…King of Kings
and Lord of Lords (19:16).

Who
then is this white horse rider? The one who best fits the description, as well
as the placing here in the book of Revelation, is called, among other names in
the Bible, Antichrist. Very early in the Tribulation, at the breaking of the
first seal, Antichrist will begin his rise to power by means of military might
and will ultimately conquer the world … becoming its undisputed
ruler and dictator. Here are some scriptures that foretell the coming of this
powerful, future world ruler:

And
in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their
fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands
sinister schemes. his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall
destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause
deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his
heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the
Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means. And the vision of
the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision,
forit refers to many days in the future. And I, Daniel, fainted
and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I
was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. Daniel
8:23-27

Then
the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify
himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been
determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor
the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt
himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of
fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with
gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act
against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall
acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many,
and divide the land for gain. Daniel 11:36-39

And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with
the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. Second
Thessalonians 2:8

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the
Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we
know that it is the last hour. First John 2:18

So
they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped
the beast, saying, ’Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with
him? Revelation 13:4

These scriptures prophesy
the coming of Satan’s man, Antichrist.They predict he will bea
warrior who will conquer the world and become its undisputed dictator. His rise
to power will be the first terrible indirect judgment of the Lamb on an
unbelieving world who has consistently and stubbornly rejected Christ's
lordship over them.

Before we move on, I
would like to add a comment about the Daniel prophecy above in regards to the
phrase He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of
women. I believe that this desire of women, spoken of
here, refers to the desire that women in general have for a husband.In my opinion, this may well indicate that Antichrist will be a
homosexual. His dual rejection of the God of his fathers and
the desire of women follows the same pattern that is found in
Romans 1:21, 24-27. There we read, when they knew God, they glorified him
not as God. Then, we read the following results... God gave them up
to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts … the men leaving the
natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men
working that which is unseemly(KJV). The tremendous explosion of
homosexuality in our world today, and the ongoing and unprecedented push to
legitimatize it in every realm of society, may well be laying the foundation for
the future acceptance and, indeed, adoration of Antichrist. In a very short
period of time, homosexuality has become an accepted lifestyle and is now
aggressively being promoted and endorsed on a world-wide scale. This may well be
in
preparation for the arrival of Antichrist.

When he opened the
second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.'
[NU omitsand see]Another horse, fiery red, went
out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the
earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a
great sword.

6:3­4

When the
Lamb broke the second Seal from his scroll, another indirect judgment began to
unfold down on Earth. John saw a rider come forth who was mounted on a fiery
red horse who would take peace from the earth. This
symbol is pretty straightforward. It is a symbol for war. Upon the rise of
Antichrist, every nation on Earth will quickly become embroiled in red war. This
is the logical and sure result of the rise of the warrior, Antichrist, who was
loosed by the first Seal. Jesus, commenting on this judgment
inMatthew
24:6-7, said,

And you will hear of
wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things
must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences,
and earthquakes in various places.

Early in the Tribulation, multiple and devastating wars will break out on
the Earth as a result from the Lamb's breaking of the second Seal. Is this World
War III? Yes, if you wish to call it so. Whatever its actual number will be,
however, when the Lamb breaks the second seal from his scroll the whole world
will become embroiled in war and, ultimately, even our beloved and powerful
United States military will fall to Antichrist! I will comment a bit more on
that when we get to Revelation 13.

When he opened the
third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ’Come and see.’ So I
looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of
scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living
creatures saying, ’A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley
for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’

6:5-6

Again, the symbol is a
straightforward one. Famine will spread across the earth after Christ breaks off
the
third Seal. In Matthew 24:6, just quoted as it relates to the second seal, you
will notice that Jesus also said that famines would follow the wars and
rumors of wars. Famine is typically the result of war. We see its ugly
head all across the world today where wars are raging. Take Darfur, for example.
Wherever men are engaged in fighting, there is no time for planting and
harvesting.

This
specter of the black horse rider is a graphic one. He rides forth clutching a
set of food scales and, as he rides, the Father speaks from the midst of the
four living creatures, setting the exact conditions of this worldwide famine
by saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for
a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.With
these words, the Lord insures a great scarcity of food on Earth during those
days. And, may I say to you, what the Father decrees in heaven is always a done
deal. A denarius was a whole day’s wage in Jesus’ day. During the
days of the black horse rider, a whole day’s wages will only buy enough food for
one person. Further, the Father commands no one harm the oil and the
wine. These words accentuate the thought that these usually abundant
items will become so rare and precious that special care will have to be taken
to handle them.

When he opened the
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ’Come and
see.’ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and
Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth,
to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the
earth.

6:7-8

When the Lamb broke
the fourth Seal from his scroll, John saw the personification of Death itself
ride forth. It was seen riding a sickly yellowish greenhorse. The Greek
word here translated pale is χλωρός(cloros). We get our word
chlorine, a pale greenish chemical,from this Greek word.Notice that Death was closely followed by Hades, the Greek
word that designates the holding place of all the wicked dead. Someone has said
Death never travels alone. Heaven or hell is always on its heels. This
was a terrifying apparition indeed. Can you picture it? Hell, loping along
behind Death, eagerly gobbling up all those who Death was destroying! This is a
reminder that, as spiritual beings made in the image of God, all humans
will live somewhere ... for all eternity. The only question that remains is, Where? You
definitely will not want it to be Hades. Our text says, And power was
given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill… One quarter of
Earth’s population will perish following the Lamb breaking of the forth Seal. We
are told here, that deathwill come from one of four quarters:
the sword (war); hunger (famine); death
(includes all other sources … sickness, heart attacks, old age,
accidents, etc.); and wild beasts. Wild beasts are notorious for
becoming ferocious when they have fed on human flesh. Man-eating tigers in Asia
have well demonstrated that fact. Ezekiel also spoke of four elements of
judgment that came upon wicked Israel in his day.

For thus says the Lord
GOD: ’How much more it shall be when I send my four severe judgments on
Jerusalem; the sword and famine and wild beasts and
pestilence; to cut off man and beast from it?’ Ezekiel 14:21

In summary, after the
Lamb has broken the first four Seals off his scroll, the results will be the
worst decimation by war and its by-products the world has ever seen. If it were
to take place today, over a billion and a quarter people would lose their lives.
Hopefully, these judgments will have a sobering and eye-opening effect on many
people in that day. These judgments are not merely designed to carry out the
vengeance of God on a wicked and unbelieving humanity. They will also be sent to
awaken the consciences of sinners. Disasters can be powerful wake-up calls from
God.

May we step aside here for a moment? One of the terrible things about
this age of grace in which you and I are presently living is the fact that
multitudes of people slip away each day into a Christless eternity. They live
out their lives blithely unaware and uncaring of the eternal doom that awaits
them just around the corner. This alone is more than ample reason to be against
the push for euthanasia in our day. People without Christ who are assisted in
taking their own lives think they are being delivered from their pain and
suffering. Nothing could be further from the truth. They merely awake on the
other side to discover that their real pain and suffering has just begun. How
tragic! The Bible says,

…For to him that is
joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead
lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4

Christ is really going to turn up the heat on mankind
with his four Seal
judgments
during the opening
days of the Tribulation. And, I believe they will
drive many sinners to reconsider and turn to Christ. Jude 23, speaks of
this method of reaching people.

…but others save with fear, pulling them out of
the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

When he opened the
fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been
slainfor the Word of God and for the testimony which
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord,
holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the
earth? ‘Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them
that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their
fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was
completed.

6:9-11

At the breaking of the fifth Seal,
the scene shifts back from Earth to Heaven. Up there, throughout the first three
and a half years of the rise of Antichrist, murdered saints have been
continuously arriving from down below. The Greek word used here, translated
slain, is
εσφαγμενων(esthagmenown). This wordspeaks of a death
by violence. The tense of this Greek participle is perfect passive meaning,
having been slain. It alludes to the fact that these saints were
murdered because they were considered a nuisance. But, up in Heaven, John sees
them under the altar, which speaks of the fact that God views them
as sacrifices.

This is our first encounter in Revelation with
Tribulation saints. It will be costly to believe in Christ during the rise of, and under the reign of, Antichrist. Those days will really separate the men from
the boys. Many are Christians today because it costs them nothing. In that day
it will cost people everything. Second Thessalonians 2:6-7, tells us that in that
day the restraints on sinful man will be lifted. That being the case, men will
be more cruel and pitiless than ever … as cruel as their depraved natures
dictate. It will be Satan, and his Antichrist's, day. Both Daniel and Jesus
prophesied that the saints would be given into Antichrist's hand in that
day.

I was
watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing
against them… Daniel 7:21

He
shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the
saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then
the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a
time. Daniel 7:25

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you
will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. Matthew 24:9

The question arises, In what sense is the fifth Seal a judgment of the
Lamb then, since it is his own saints who are being killed? I believe the
answer lies within the fact that those who are doing the murdering of God’s
people are storing up for themselves vengeance against the day of
vengeance (Romans 2:5). As Christ's murdered Saints continue to swell in
number in Heaven, the wrath of God will be continuing to swell up above as well.
Psalm 9:12, says,

When he avenges blood,
he remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the
humble.

Having suffered the horrors
of execution by
Antichrist, John heard the Tribulation martyr's cry out to their Lord for
vengeance. Their cries resulted in the handing out of white robes
to each one, followed by the Lord's words to them that they should rest a
little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their
brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. What a
longsuffering God our Lord is! Even in that awful day, when his own beloved
people are being slaughtered by the score ... he will continue to delay his wrath
for his great mercy’s sake.

I looked when he opened
the sixth seal, and [NU omits
behold] there was a great earthquake; and the sun
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the [NU addswhole] moon became like blood. And
the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs
when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when
it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its
place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves
in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and
rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and
from the wrath of the Lamb!’ For the great day of his wrath has come, and who is
able to stand?

6:12-14

We come now to a spectacular and very significant future
turning point in
history. It is during the events unleashed by the sixth Seal that the Great Tribulation (the second half of the Tribulation)
will begin. The judgments of
the sixth Seal are the first direct judgments we have encountered in the book of
Revelation and their nature fits like a glove with all the other judgments that
are prophesied to occur during the Great Tribulation (the last three and a half
years of the Tribulation). Today, you and I are living in the Age of Grace. It
began at the cross, closing the Old Testament dispensation of the Law,
and continues on to this very hour. During this Age of Grace, direct
supernatural judgments from God have been virtually unheard of. It has been well over two
millennia since mankind has witnessed any direct supernatural judgments from God
on Earth. Today, the only sin God is holding mankind accountable for is
unbelief, by the way. As you have it inSecond Corinthians
5:19,

To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and has committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation.

I repeat. The only sin that God is holding men accountable for today is
the sin of unbelief in his Son … a horrendous sin that has not yet brought
direct judgment on mankind ... but one day will. At the end of the Age of Grace,
it will come. As you have it in Second Thessalonians
1:7-9,

And to you who are
troubled rest with us,
when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power…

And again, inJohn
3:36,

He that believeth on the
Son has everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall no see life;
but the wrath of God abideth on him.

God has directly intervened in judgment on the earth in ages past. Before
the Law was given, he judged mankind in Noah's day leaving only eight people
alive on the earth. During the age of the Law, God intervened many times in
judgment during Moses and Joshua's day and during the days of the prophets.
However, from those times up to today, his judgments have been muted. That will
dramatically change when Christ breaks away the sixth Seal from his scroll.
At that time, the world will experience the first direct intervention by God in
judgment that has taken place here on the Earth in nearly three thousand years.
If you accept the supernatural, you will have little trouble with the
description of his judgments from this point on in the book of Revelation. If
not, you will have a good deal of difficulty from this point on with what the
book of Revelation predicts is coming to planet Earth. Let's look at this one.
Jesus was also speaking of this judgment of the sixth Seal when he said inLuke 21:11,

And there will be
great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there
will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

The judgments of the sixth Seal will fulfill Jesus’
prediction of fearful sights and great signs in heaven. When
Christ breaks the sixth Seal off his scroll in Heaven, things will occur around
the globe like nothing ever before recorded in human history. Our text says it will come as
follows:

1 …a world-wideearthquake

2 …a total blackout of thesun

3 …a change in the nature of
themoonthat will cause it to become a light source, glowing
with the hue of redblood

4 …a change in the nature of
the universe
that will result in actualstarsfalling to the Earth like
overripe figs

6 …and (the finale) … the
rolling back of theskyabove,revealing God Almighty and
His Lamb seated upon their Throne for all to see.Needless to say, these events
will be undeniably supernatural by the earth-dwellers of that day. Let’s look a
bit closer at these prophesied events.

Now, a worldwideearthquake is
scientifically impossible. Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of the
tectonic plates in the Earth and thus only occur in specific and very limited
locations. A worldwide earthquake cannot occur apart from the supernatural.
Also, a temporary and total darkening of thesun is scientifically
impossible. It just couldn't occur apart from the supernatural. The reversal of
Earth's primary light source from the sun to themoon is
scientifically impossible. One can only imagine the effect on the scientific
community when, for a period of time, the moon will be earth's only source of
light! Starsfalling to the earth is scientifically
impossible. Many would say that the very fact that such a thing is stated in the
Bible is proof that it is a scientifically inaccurate book. They would
strenuously object, saying, Real starsfalling to the Earth? Do you
realize the nature and size of a star? You Christians are so ignorant and so
unscientific! Why, if this literally were to occur, the stars wouldn’t
fall to the earth … the earth would be sucked into the first star
that even got close and then burn up like a moth in a flame! The shifting
and relocation of everymountainand every islandis
scientifically impossible. How could that be? Yet, it shall. Finally, the
rolling back of the heavens above likea scroll is scientifically
impossible. But that too will occur.

Puny
... oh so scientific man … politically correct man … sophisticated, modern,
civilized man … is scheduled for a rude awakening when Christ breaks the sixth
Seal from off his scroll. God exists, you see, and man has been living in God’s
supernatural universe for millennia but he has stubbornly refused to acknowledge its true
nature. How great and powerful our God is! He is the Omnipotent One. As
Gabriel, the archangel, once said to a young girl who had been told she was
scheduled to have a baby apart from the normal impregnation by a man, with
God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). Do you really think that he
who holds the whole universe together by the Word of His power
(Hebrews 1:3) could not do the things that are so clearly described here in the
sixth Seal judgment?

Jeremiah 32:7, says,

Behold, I am the LORD,
the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?

If God so desired, with a
mere thought he could cause every star in the universe to fall to the earth and
bounce along the ground like so many fiery marbles ... just as, it appears, many
actually will at the breaking of the sixth Seal. At that time, God will arise
and bear his right arm, you see, and the supernatural will become a matter of
undeniable fact. Can you picture what effect these things will have on
unregenerate men and women when they see such contradictions of their so-called
laws of nature!?

We Christians do not need to
scientifically prove that stars can fall to the earth, by the way. Nor, do we
need to scientifically prove how the heavens could roll back like a scroll. We
just need to believe the Word of God, dear saint … whether it makes sense to us
or not. The burden of proof is on the skeptics. They must prove that these
things will not occur as prophesied here in the Word of God. By the way, it
doesn’t say that all the stars fell to the earth although, under the omnipotent
hand of Almighty God, they certainly could. Later in the book, and subsequent to
this event, we will still find stars shining in the heavens. But, it's my opinion
that a large number of them will be conspicuously absent from their places in
Earth’s skies above. After the Lamb sets in motion the amazing events of the
breaking of the sixth Seal, mankind will have a very difficult time indeed
denying the supernatural. These events will be powerful blows to proud,
haughty, scientific man and none too soon in my opinion. At the breaking of the
sixth Seal, men who have obstinately viewed the universe from the vantage point
of uniformitarian, naturalistic, humanistic, evolutionary ideology, will be
proved the fools they are.

6:15-17

Now let's look at the
profound results that these events will have on earth-dwellers in that day. John
says, And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the
commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in
the caves.What abject panic and utter bedlam this
judgment will cause. The sixth Seal will truly stop men’s mouths. They will only
have one thing to say on that day … and it will be said to the mountains and the
rocks around them ... Fall on us and hide us from the face of
him who sets on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Isaiah also
prophesied of the chaos that the sixth Seal will bring, saying,

Enter into the rock, and
hide in the dust, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty.
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall
be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day
of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything
lifted up; and it shall be brought low; upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are
high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan; upon all the high
mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up; upon every high tower,
and upon every fortified wall; upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the
beautiful sloops. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and
the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in
that day, but the idols he shall utterly abolish. They shall go into the
holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD
and the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake the earth
mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols
of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats,
to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crags of the rugged rocks,
from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty, when he arises
to shake the earth mightily. Isaiah 2:10-21

May we step aside here
for a moment? Notice that when this actually will occur, men will not simply
stare curiously up at God Almighty and the Lamb above them. No. What will they do?
They will attempt to do everything in their power to get away and hide
themselves from the presence of God and his Lamb. Anyone who thinks that they
can look upon Holy God and his Lamb apart from the spiritual protection which
the imputed righteousness that Christ provides (1 Corinthians 5:21) is very sadly
mistaken. Notice that when men look upon the Holy Ones above in that day, their
only motivation will be to flee away from their presence. Sinners cannot stand
in the presence of Holy God and his Righteous Lamb unless they have been
specifically and supernaturally prepared for it by being born again
(John 3:3). We sinners must be re-made into a new creature, having our
sins washed away by faith in Christ and having received the very righteousness
of Christ himself by imputation (Romans 4:20-24). This alone prepares a man or
woman to be able to stand unharmed and unafraid before Holy God. Any other
scenario or scheme of man to prepare to meet his Maker will inevitably result in
abject panic and ultimate destruction. Are you prepared to stand in the presence
of Holy God and his Holy Lamb? Jesus can make you ready.

Now,
the question arises, How long will the judgment of the sixth Seal last?
It doesn’t say here. But I expect its events will be comparatively brief in
duration, especially when the heavens are rolled back for unregenerate men to
see God and his Lamb above. In conclusion, let me say that the events of the
sixth Seal are critical to the understanding of the rest of the book of
Revelation. At the end of the sixth Seal judgment, when the heavens are rolled
back like a great scroll, mankind will have historically arrived at the halfway
point of the Tribulation (three and a half years in) and the Great Tribulation
will have begun. There is an important verse in Joel that applies here.Joel
2:30-31, quotes God as saying,

And I will show wonders
in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun
shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood
before the great and the terrible
day of the Lord come.

At the beginning of the
sixth Seal judgment, Joel's prophetic words, The sun shall be turned into
darkness and the moon into blood, will be fulfilled. Note
that he says that these things will take place before the
great and the terrible day of the Lord come. The great and
the terrible day of the Lord refer to the Great Tribulation (the second
half of the Tribulation). When we read that the sun was darkened and the moon
turned to blood in verse thirteen, we are still in the first half of the
Tribulation. But, when the sky is rolled back like a scroll, in
verse fourteen, we have entered into the second half of the Tribulation, the
Great Tribulation … Joel's greatand terrible day of
the Lord. So, the words men cried out at the sight of God's
throne and the Lamb are eschatologically (doctrine of end time things)
correct and "right on". They cried, For the great day of his wrath is come; and who
shall be able to stand? Although they will not be thinking of the timing
of these end-time events when they say this, they will have hit the nail on the head, for the great
day of his wrath will have come indeed. And, although they will
assume that they themselves are toast, it will not yet be the
case. For, just as suddenly as it all began, it will come to an end
and they will crawl out from their holes and hiding places to find that things
are relatively back to normal …
except for the aftermath of these terrible judgments including a good number
missing stars from the heavens above.

Now, let's think for a
moment about the effect that these things will have on God's chosen people, the Jews, who will be
living at that time. I believe that the supernatural events at the breaking of
the sixth Seal will result in the conversion of thousands of Jews in that day.
Along with the rest of mankind, they too will climb out from their holes having
visibly seen their God and his Christ seated on their throne in Heaven. It will be very
difficult, after that point in time, for a Jew to deny Christ is his Messiah and
the King of Israel. The breaking of the sixth Seal will be the turning point, in
my opinion, for many Jews ... and a certain 144,000 in particular ... who we will
shortly meet just a few verses from now.

In
closing, let me say again that you and I currently live in a very stable and
relatively predictable world today. God's natural laws have been unchanging and
consistent for a very long time. So much so, that men have almost universally
adopted a uniformitarian secular mindset and have taken it upon
themselves to altogether deny the supernatural nature of the universe and world
in which they live and, often, even the existence of God himself. They proudly
declare that all things consist and merely function by predictable laws of
nature apart from God whatsoever. At the breaking of the sixth Seal, our Lord
will dramatically confront them with the error of their
thinking.